Durian Sukegawa: Sweet Bean Paste (Poplar Publishing 2013)
Sentaro works at a shop called Doraharu, which sells dorayaki. It is a pancake filled with sweet bean paste. Sentaro bakes dorayaki every day, without a day off. He doesn’t even like sweets. He used to want to be a writer, but then something went wrong in his life and now he is completely hopeless and distraught.
Tokue’s life has been very difficult. She was never able to do what she wanted, her husband has already died, but she hasn’t given up on life and she has found what many people are looking for, that there is meaning in life.
Wakana is a shy teenager. She doesn’t talk much, she has no friends and her parents are very poor. However, she sometimes goes to Doraharu to eat dorayaki.
These three people show how great the power of friendship can be in today’s fast-paced, alienated world. The story also provides interesting facts about Japanese society and history. The author, Durian Sukegawa, studied oriental philosophy at Waseda University and then worked as a journalist in Berlin and Cambodia. He has written numerous books, essays, and screenplays and currently lives in Tokyo.
